The Ministry of Planning and Development is a Finalist for two awards for Public Service excellence.
One is a joint project from the Ministry’s Library Services Unit, Information Technology Unit and Corporate Communications Unit and the second is an initiative of the the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI). These projects have been vetted and selected as Finalists for the President’s Award for Innovation and Service Excellence, Pr.A.I.S.E 2024, Award Competition, hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) under the esteemed patronage of Her Excellency Christine Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
They were selected as finalists in the Pr.A.I.S.E 2024 Innovation Category for the Dr. Eric Eustace Williams Speech Digitalisation Project by the Library Services Unit and the Rubber Crumb Project by CARIRI. Voting for People’s Choice commences on November 25 and will be done electronically by the national community.
The Dr. Eric Eustace Williams Speech Digitalisation Project by the Library Services Unit brings Dr. Williams’ insights on national development to a global audience, making these historical documents accessible online 24/7—for free. With tech like Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and interactive features, users can search, annotate, and explore this treasure chest of knowledge at their fingertips.
CARIRI’s Rubber Crumb Project helps deal with the challenge of tyre disposal and its environmental risks. This project converts waste tyres into rubber crumb, used for applications like rubberized asphalt. A test was initiated earlier this year with the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation. This sustainable solution not only addresses tyre waste but also improves road quality, making asphalt more durable and resistant to wear.
Planning and Development Minister Pennelope Beckles praised the staff and management for their dedication to public service excellence and encouraged them to keep up the great work as Trinidad and Tobago will only continue to benefit and grow from their achievements. The Planning Minister emphasized that while winning will be an excellent accomplishment, the focus on adding value to the advantage of Trinidad and Tobago’s development is a victory in its own right.